Snapchat’s latest update introduced a new Phone feature that displays your call history within the app. This understandably raised privacy concerns for many users who don’t want Snapchat accessing and displaying their private call data. Fortunately, there are a few different ways to disable Snapchat’s Phone feature on iPhone and prevent your call log from being visible in the app.
Why Is Snapchat Showing My Call Log?
With the new Phone feature, Snapchat is able to access your call history data and display it within the app. This allows you to see your calls within Snapchat and conveniently snap or chat with recent contacts.
However, many users expressed discomfort with Snapchat accessing this information without clear consent. The call data shown includes names, numbers, times, and length of calls from your phone’s call log. Some users were surprised to find their private call history being displayed in Snapchat without any action on their part.
Snapchat states they only access your call log data to power the Phone feature. They claim the call information is kept private and not used for other purposes. However, the fact that Snapchat can access this data at all without explicit permission left many users unsettled.
How to Stop Snapchat from Accessing Your Call Log
If you’re uncomfortable with Snapchat tapping into your call data, there are a few things you can do to disable this feature on iPhone:
Disable Phone Permissions for Snapchat
The most direct way to stop Snapchat from accessing your call log is to disable the Phone permission for Snapchat in your iPhone settings:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Phone
- Find Snapchat in the list of apps and toggle the switch off
This prevents Snapchat from being able to access your call history at all. However, it also means you won’t be able to use the Phone feature even if you wanted to.
Disable Access to All Photos
Snapchat needs access to your photos in order to view your call log. So another option is to completely disable Snapchat’s access to your photos:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Photos
- Find Snapchat in the list and select “Never Allow”
Again, this restricts Snapchat more severely. The app won’t be able to access any of your photos at all. But it also guarantees your call log stays private.
Enable Limit Old Photos Option
You can also limit Snapchat’s access to just your recent photos using the Limit Old Photos option:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Photos > Snapchat
- Enable the “Limit Old Photos” option
This allows Snapchat to only see your photos from the past 30 days. So your call log won’t show unless you’ve placed calls in the past month. It limits the exposure of your call data while still allowing Snapchat basic photo access.
Disable Snapchat’s Phone Feature
If you want to keep using Snapchat but just don’t want your call log displayed, you can simply disable the Phone feature within Snapchat itself:
- Open Snapchat and tap your profile icon
- Tap the gear icon to access Settings
- Scroll down and toggle off the “Phone” setting
This switches off Snapchat’s Phone integration and ensures your call log stays private within Snapchat, even if the app still has access to your call data.
Manually Update Your Privacy Settings
Another option is to manually update your privacy settings in Snapchat to configure what data the app can access:
- Go to Settings > Privacy Settings
- Review the options under “Permissions”
- Toggle off any permissions related to contacts, phone data, etc.
Adjust these granular settings to limit the amount of data Snapchat can see. Make sure to disable any permissions that allow access to your contacts, call log, phone data, etc.
Reset Your Advertising ID
Snapchat may rely on your advertising ID to connect your call data across devices. Resetting this ID can break that connection:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Apple Advertising > Reset Advertising Identifier
- Tap “Reset Identifier” to confirm
This resets your advertising ID, which disconnects you from any previous targeted ads or usage tracking. It may help prevent Snapchat from accessing your call log going forward.
Update or Reinstall the Snapchat App
It’s also worth trying updating the Snapchat app to see if that resolves the issue:
- Go to the App Store
- Search for Snapchat
- If an update is available, tap Update
- Or tap the cloud icon to reinstall Snapchat
Updating to the latest version may remove the call log capability in some cases. Alternatively, completely reinstalling Snapchat could reset the app’s permissions and disconnect it from your call data.
Prevent Snapchat Auto-Updating
You can also stop Snapchat from auto-updating to maintain control over what version is installed:
- Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store
- Toggle off App Updates
This prevents Snapchat from updating itself unless you manually go to the App Store. So you can avoid auto-installing versions that re-enable the call log feature.
Use Screen Time to Block Snapchat
iOS’s Screen Time feature lets you block Snapchat’s access to certain apps and features. To do this:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions > Content Restrictions
- Enter your passcode if prompted
- Tap Allowed Apps
- Switch Snapchat to “Don’t Allow”
This prevents Snapchat from being able to access any features or data on your device. Of course, it also severely limits Snapchat’s functionality. But it guarantees your call log remains private.
Disable Access to Contacts
You can also block Snapchat’s access specifically to your contacts and groups:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time
- Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions > Contacts
- Switch both Contacts and Groups to “Don’t Allow”
This stops Snapchat from accessing your contacts list and call groups. Since Snapchat relies on this data to populate your call log, it prevents that integration.
Use a Third-Party Call Blocking App
Another option is to install a third-party call blocking app that can hide your call log:
- Truecaller – Blocks spam calls and hides call log
- WhosCall – Blocks spam and hides call info
- TrapCall – Blocks spammers and hides call history
These apps offer more granular call blocking and privacy options. They can intercept your call data and keep it private from other apps like Snapchat.
Contact Snapchat Support
If the above options don’t work, you can reach out to Snapchat’s support for additional help:
- Tap Settings > Support > Contact Us in the Snapchat app
- Visit support.snapchat.com and submit a request
- Tweet @snapchatsupport for assistance
Explain your situation and privacy concerns. Request that they remove your call log data from their system. Snapchat support may be able to resolve the issue on their back end.
Disable Snapchat Account
As a last resort, you can temporarily disable or delete your Snapchat account:
- Tap Settings > Support > ‘I need help with my account’ > Disable Account
- Select “Temporarily disable” or “Permanently delete”
This cuts off Snapchat’s access to your data completely. You can temporarily disable and reactivate later to generate a fresh advertising ID. Or permanently delete if you no longer want to use Snapchat at all.
Conclusion
Snapchat introducing call log integration without opt-in consent was understandably troubling for many users. However, there are quite a few ways to prevent Snapchat from accessing your call data on iPhone. The most straightforward options are disabling phone permissions, limiting old photos access, and toggling off the Phone feature in Snapchat settings.
Screen Time restrictions, third-party call blocking apps, and contacting Snapchat support also provide additional options. Ultimately, fully deleting your Snapchat account is the nuclear option to guarantee your call log remains private. With several solutions available, you can easily keep your call history away from Snapchat’s prying eyes.